


Good Game (The Proof)

by humanedisaster



Series: MCU Hogwarts AU [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, Quidditch, Quidditch Team Captain Sif
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 10:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3892693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanedisaster/pseuds/humanedisaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Response to the prompt on Tumblr: "Sif is head of the Gryffindor quidditch team and needs to kick all the new recruits into shape."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Game (The Proof)

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a larger universe I'm building, but have no ideas for, if you have a prompt, check out [this](http://mcuhogwartsau.tumblr.com/post/118088870703/welcome) and send me one [here](http://mcuhogwartsau.tumblr.com/ask).

When Sif was made Team Captain at the record low (for Gryffindor, anyway) of fourth year, she knew she needed to prove herself capable. She needed to show Professor Phillips that he hadn’t made the wrong choice in her, by choosing her over Rhodes, being that he was two years ahead of her, or Thor, who was maybe more of a born leader than her. 

Her first step was to _prove_ that her team was there for their merits, so she held an open try-out. The only position that was really empty was seeker, but she needed to know that her team was the best it could be, that she wasn’t holding on to friends due to loyalty and not because they had what it took. 

“Sif, honestly?” Fandral whined when he saw the poster for sign-ups in the common room. “You know everyone with the hots for you or Thor are going to sign up and _be_ there and make it all a lot longer than necessary. You’re not going to find chasers that work better together than Volstagg, Hogun, and I.” 

Sif rolled her eyes. “It’s about squashing any ideas of Nepotism, Fandral, not your ego. If you three are the best, then you’ll get your spots back.” 

\- 

But he was right. It seemed like the entire house was there for try-outs. Unfortunately he was also right about their friends. Volstagg, Hogun, and Frandral had been dubbed the “Warriors Three” when they joined the team Second Year for a reason. 

And no one could beat her and Thor in accuracy or formation as beaters. 

And Rhodes was honestly one of the best damn keepers she’d ever seen, including professional quidditch players. 

The only real question was the seeker, who was maybe the most important position. A good seeker could make or break a team. 

No one was exactly standing out. 

She had weeded out the weak by dropping the keys to the broom shed from high above the field, one by one making the prospects try to catch them before they reached the ground. Sif was pretty proud of her idea when that cut the numbers in half. 

Then she tested their ability to spot the snitch by levitating a feather around the field, the first five to find the feathers would continue on to the next round. 

The only candidate who had caught it with any sort of speed was a second year. She didn’t seem all that enthused to be there, but a couple Hufflepuffs that Sif assumed were in her year had cheered loudly every time she had progressed to the next round. 

Finally, Sif was sick of dicking around. “Alright, seeker prospects. Come around.” She flew to the middle of the field and waited until the five of them had surrounded her. “I’m going to release a snitch. The first person to catch it will be our seeker. I’m pretty sure who will succeed, but for the sake of appearances, this is what it takes.” 

She pulled a sleeping snitch from her pocket, waking it with a press of her lips and set it buzzing. 

The second year was the only one to keep her eye on the little gold ball, instead of looking back to her. 

She groaned. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go after it!” 

The second year – Wanda Maximoff, the hat stall from the previous year – caught it in less than two minutes. 

\- 

“Pietro. I joined the team, I’m the seeker, but that doesn’t mean that I have to go crazy at every quidditch match at the school,” Sif heard Wanda say. She was just about to enter the common room from the girl’s staircase. She knew Pietro was Wanda’s brother, and the Hufflepuff’s star chaser, thanks to the Potter Rule, allowing him to try out the previous year and make it. She also didn’t know how she felt about Wanda talking quidditch with the enemy. 

Hufflepuff was probably they’re biggest competition this year, between Pietro “Quicksilver” Maximoff, Clint “Hawkeye” Barton as their seeker, and Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson as beaters, they definitely had their work cut out for them if they wanted to win the Cup that year. 

They had already had a tight game with Slytherin a couple weeks ago – the first of the year – and Sif didn’t need the Hufflepuffs to get into her seeker’s head. 

“I’m not asking you to go crazy! I’m asking you to support your brother and your best friend. It’s Vision’s first game! Can you imagine how upset he would be if you didn’t go?” 

Sif could practically _feel_ Wanda roll her eyes, the younger girl tended to take no bullshit. Regardless, Sif was planning on making the entire team go the game anyway – it was always good to know your enemies’ strategies. She finally entered the common room and the Maximoff twins both turned in her direction. 

“Don’t let me interrupt the conversation! Though, Wanda, you are going to the game, we need to study our opponents!” Sif smirked when she heard Wanda sigh and Pietro let out a whoop. 

Time to get to her study date. 

\- 

After the Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw match, which the ‘Puffs won 300 to 80, Sif knew she had to crack down on her team. 

The Hufflepuff team hadn’t had such a good team in decades and if Gryffindor was going to win the Cup, they needed to go into their Championship match with a thorough lead. 

Which meant winning every match for the rest of the year, including their one against Hufflepuff in March. And they were not ready to face their team. 

Luckily enough they had three months to get into shape. 

\- 

“Practices _four times a week _?! Sif are you crazy?” Rhodey asked, slamming his books down on the table in front of her.__

They had just gotten back from Christmas Holidays and Rhodey had a bizarre manic look in his eyes. Looking at the books between them, she saw NEWT level Defence, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology, along with what she was sure was the NEWT level book for Ancient Runes. 

“Rhodes, if we want to beat Hufflepuff–” 

“Sif, I want to _pass my NEWTs_. That’s what I want. Yeah, it’d be nice to win the Cup, but I’m out of here in two years and I need to be prepared for adult life!” 

After a long moment of stares between them, Sif sighed. “You’re the only upper classman on the team, Rhodey. And sometimes I may forget that. I’m not rescheduling the practices, though.” 

“Sif!” 

“ _However_ , you only have to make it to two of them.” Rhodey sighed in relief and Sif rolled her eyes. “But! If you don’t make it to two practices a week, you will be out. No just for a game, not just for the season, but _off_ the team. For. Good.” 

This time Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Not a problem, Sif.” He picked up his books and started to walk away. 

“Good, because don’t think I won’t pull Natasha from the reserves!” 

He threw a chuckle and a wave over his shoulder, and Sif knew she had nothing to worry about. 

\- 

“Volstagg! I swear to Merlin, if you don’t stop _eating_ on the field I will hex you to Babylon!” Sif hollered into the red head’s ear as she passed him. 

He dropped the chicken leg he had no doubt brought from dinner and stared after it until he seemed to realize he was on a broom and could catch it before it fell. 

“Where are you even keeping this food?” Fandral asked, tossing the quaffle between Thor and Wanda to Hogun. 

Sif had them doing passing exercises. It had been a weak spot in their game against Slytherin (Sif silently cursed Steve Rogers and his ability to manipulate. It was _weak_ that he didn’t tell anyone that Loki was their new seeker until Thor got on the field with them. Talk about mind games.), and Sif _needed_ the points that Chasers brought to the field. 

It was either catch the snitch before the Hufflepuffs could score, or score a ton of points before catching the snitch. Either way they needed to catch the snitch and win the game. 

And that meant Chaser exercises. Especially since this was one of Rhodey’s expected absences. 

Sif knocked a bludger at Volstagg, but he dodged it and toss the quaffle to Fandral in one smooth move, only for Thor to hit him in the shoulder for his trouble. 

“Quicker, lads! You need to be _quicker_. More smooth! You’d think you’d never played this game in your life!” 

Wanda whizzed by Hogun when he got the quaffle, too close for his comfort, but he recovered, dodged both bludgers sent his way, and tossed the quaffle over Thor’s head to Volstagg. 

“Good, Hogun! Volstagg, Fandral, learn from him, he’s the best of you!” 

\- 

January bled to February and Sif made her team go to the Slytherin versus Ravenclaw game. 

The Ravenclaw team had really shaped up since their game in November, and served Slytherin with a pretty neck and neck game. The Ravenclaw chasers zipped around the field, fast and in almost unpredictable patterns, aided by Fisk and Wesley as beaters, you would think they were unmatchable, but where Rhodey was _one_ of the best keeper’s Sif had ever seen, Steve Rogers was _the best_ , and blocked two out of three shots, landing the quaffle with one of his chasers every time. 

Ultimately it came down to the seekers. And Marci Stahl may be fast on her broom and have some sharp eyes, Loki was _good_ (not as good as Wanda, though, as proven earlier in the year). 

After the game, Sif knew that her current strategy was her best bet for the Cup. This year was a year for the chasers if there ever had been. 

\- 

Two weeks of long practices and plenty of strategy later, and the Gryffindor team was gearing up for their game against Hufflepuff in the locker room. 

Sif felt anxious and excited and could hear the shouts of the entire school outside in the stadium. The team was chatting amongst themselves, but Sif softly shushed them, her eyes closed lightly, broom in hand. 

“Listen,” she whispered, “Listen to the crowd.” She opened her eyes and everyone on the team was looking at her intently. “That’s your House out there. Your professors. Maybe even some family.” 

Wanda frowned and Sif quickly added, “Some of us even have family in the other locker room right now.” 

Thor smiled grimly and patted Wanda’s shoulder, knowing intimately what it was like to play against someone he called his own. 

“And you want to know something?” Sif asked, slowly smiling. “None of them matter. They weren’t the ones on the quidditch pitch working their asses off for this. They weren’t the ones who dedicated hours and sweat and blood to becoming the team we are today. Don’t go out there and do it for _them_. Go out there and do it for yourselves, for your fellow teammates. Do it because we _deserve_ to win.” 

Sif put her hand in the middle of the circle, and the others joined her, first Thor, the Warriors Three, then Wanda, and finally Rhodey. Sif placed her other hand on top and leaned in. “Good game on three! 

“One. Two. Three. GOOD GAME!”

**Author's Note:**

> Check out [my tumblr](http://humanedisaster.tumblr.com) if you want more MCU trash on your dash. And remember, if you have a prompt, check out [this](http://mcuhogwartsau.tumblr.com/post/118088870703/welcome) and send me one [here](http://mcuhogwartsau.tumblr.com/ask).


End file.
